ROB Edwards backed up manager Mick McCarthy's assertion that Wolves were let down by referee Andre Marriner against Stoke.

ROB Edwards backed up manager Mick McCarthy's assertion that Wolves were let down by referee Andre Marriner against Stoke.

McCarthy told the Birmingham official in no uncertain terms he felt Wolves should have had two second-half penalties, the first when Danny Pugh handled and the second, in injury time, when Edwards was felled by Salif Diao.

And the Wolves defender was left bemused by Marriner's assertion that he hadn't dived - in which case, how else could he fall over?

"I thought it was a penalty," said Edwards. "But perhaps it was too big a decision to make at that stage of the game.

"As far as I'm concerned I touched the ball first and he caught me and I went down.

"I told the referee I didn't dive and he agreed, but if I didn't dive why else would I go over?

"Still, we just have to get on with it, although it capped things off that they went up the other end and scored straight away.

"We might have had a chance of going to 3-3, but end up losing 4-2, which is really gutting for everyone."

It was certainly a rollercoaster afternoon for Edwards, whose poor back pass led to Stoke's opener before he produced a neat finish to equalise with his first Wolves goal in three-and-a-half years at Molineux.

"Getting my first Wolves goal was great at the time, especially as it put things right after my mistake," he added.

"Then we went 2-1 up and maybe needed to be more professional to see things out for a longer period."